Heirloom Tomatoes

Few weeks ago I ate my very first heirloom tomato and I was hooked immediately on the taste of this light yellow tomato. It was given to us by our neighbor who is retired farmer. Apparently, his friends found it among hundreds of plants they grow for making tomato juice and since it didn’t look red they threw it out. Knowing that we will try anything new food-wise he brought them to us. I do not understand why I waited so long to taste these tomatoes since I do shop at local Amish farms and at our local farmers market and they were always available in season. Looks like my plans for next year veggie garden are changing already since I will definitely grow some heirloom tomatoes.

Last Thanksgiving Sunday we went for a ride in the country and we came across a roadside stand that was selling heirloom tomatoes of all sizes, colors and shapes. Since all of them are open pollinated varieties I will collect the seeds from tomatoes that both of us really like.

This morning we did a little tasting and they are really good! They were nowhere as sweet as some regular red hybrids, but instead there was nice balance between sweet and tart. They will be great in salads and relishes, I think. So far I picked 3 (and counting) that I will try to grow. Over the winter I will try to identify the varieties that I have collected seeds from; not an easy task. Maybe I will email pictures to some seed houses and ask if they can help. It is not all that important to know the name but if somebody will taste my tomatoes, likes them and asks for the name it would be nice to know the answer.

Of course, if you know any of these tomatoes, please, leave a comment.

Here is link to interesting description of “Heirloom Tomato”.